Read on Twitter
decided to do a (long) thread on nazis in anime/manga lol
major tw for nazi imagery, pedophilia, and antisemitism.
major tw for nazi imagery, pedophilia, and antisemitism.
"nazi chic" is an aesthetic notably popular in japan amongst the cosplay community. they host gatherings, photoshoots, and even themed cafe events.
for the entirety of this thread, please keep in mind that japan and nazi germany were allies.
for the entirety of this thread, please keep in mind that japan and nazi germany were allies.
first lets take a step back and look at some prolific anime of the 80s. in order of appearance: urusei yatsura, dragon ball, cream lemon (a notorious l*li hentai series), lupin iii.
the urusei yatsura pic is from its most popular film adaption. in the scene, the military otaku character is directing everyone in setting up a third reich themed cafe at school. the film later referred to hitler as a poor art student plagued by dreams that drove him mad.
lupin iii is another beloved series. their depiction of nazis isn't so much fetishization as it is depicting nazis as goofy cartoonish villains, but it's still an issue. nazis are common in lupin iii and are treated as incompetent goons instead of enforcers of genocide.
moving on to the 90s. visual kei bands also made use of the appeal of nazi chic. this led to an uptick in nazi cosplays and aesthetics as fans began to cosplay and circulate doujin & fanart of the members in uniform.
nazi chic in BL (yaoi) series. this has contributed heavily to its fetishization and association with "bishounens" (attractive young men).
now lets talk about the takarazuka revue. for those unfamiliar, they are a women's musical theater troupe known for their lavish costumes and romantic dramas. many in their fanbase found their depictions of nazis to be handsome and thrilling.
the zuka club in ouran host club is a direct reference to the takarazuka revue. however i don't think this scene is meant to reference nazi works in takarazuka as much as its meant to depict these characters as antagonistic "militant" lesbians. the author also drew the 2nd pic.
the inevitable mention of aph lmao. i could write entire essays on this series. nazi chic aside, it also made nazi germany, fascist italy, & imperial japan sympathetic, lovable characters. nazi cosplays galore came about bc of aph.
the aph craze also stems back to the fetishization and portrayal of nazis in bl. aph became popular not necessarily bc of its content, but bc the axis powers are all depicted as bishounens. the homosexual coding/baiting between the germany and italy characters also helped.
i would also like to point out that aph germany doesn't wear a swastika, though you can clearly tell from his uniform and iron cross that he is a nazi. many modern depictions of nazis in anime follow this trend compared to the 80s/90s.
but we also need to talk about male military otaku. i will again reference cream lemon, a notorious series that has been linked to irl murders and acts of violence against children. i encourage you to look up the history behind these incidents on your own time.
men who are military otaku have been depicting nazis as moe girls and l*lis for years. compare the image in the previous post to this and note the similarities
japanese military otaku glorify nazis for too many reasons for me to delve into in this thread alone. however, i think japan's historical alliance with nazi germany + japan's own imperial history and acts of genocide provide a basis level of understanding.
part 2 of jjba was published in the 80s, but the anime adaption is what made this character VERY popular online. stroheim is one of the most heavily referenced and meme'd characters in the series. araki even "redeems" him in the narrative for helping the protag. he's a nazi.
jjba part 2 also features this character, mark. he is introduced as a kind, good man whose sudden death motivates the protags to set aside their differences and work together. he's a nazi.
aot. the author is an unapologetic military otaku who has named many of the characters after nazis and wwii tech. this series is a prime example of modern nazi aesthetics in anime - not a swastika in sight, but everything is painfully obvious.
i would also like to note aot's depiction of jews. the image on the left has been included in many threads on the antisemitism of the series, but the image on the right is supposed to be the devil. please note the features lol.
end of thread. nazi imagery and themes are nothing new to the animanga industry, and will likely continue to evolve and maintain themselves for years to come. i won't beg or plead with any of you, but you know who you are if you continue to excuse it.
edit: a friend pointed out to me that this uniform is actually based on italian uniforms which is.... another flavor of fash in and of itself but i would like to make this correction clear.
i will be sharing additional resources and links from this point on in the thread. https://kotaku.com/off-stage-shes-pretty-on-stage-shes-a-nazi-5694005
AKB48 nazi chic https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/10/31/national/girl-groups-nazi-like-costume-draws-online-backlash/
toriyama (dragon ball author)'s drawings including nazi soldiers. his depictions of nazis have been used multiple times in this thread.
https://rocketumbl.tumblr.com/post/620105980948168704
https://rocketumbl.tumblr.com/post/620105980948168704
found this interesting exchange aph. look at this comment and remember the role bl has played:
"Are we just going to forget how GAY the character is and how many feminine characteristics he has? You know things that would be a big no no in Nazi society?" https://hetafacts.tumblr.com/post/190126739011/you-would-think-that-a-show-named-axis-powers
"Are we just going to forget how GAY the character is and how many feminine characteristics he has? You know things that would be a big no no in Nazi society?" https://hetafacts.tumblr.com/post/190126739011/you-would-think-that-a-show-named-axis-powers
**ON aph
i've received a few messages about cream lemon, the notorious l*licon series that is brought up a few times in this thread. please read up on it and the violence it inspired here. it makes the nazi themes in its installments even worse.
tw pedophilia https://crawfordpro.wordpress.com/2020/05/03/article-the-castle-of-doom-and-the-lolicon-boom/
tw pedophilia https://crawfordpro.wordpress.com/2020/05/03/article-the-castle-of-doom-and-the-lolicon-boom/
go nagai in shin devilman depicts hitler as a sympathetic character who is wronged by a jewish banker who turns into a literal demon https://devilman.fandom.com/wiki/Adolf_Hitler
i would like to note that my use of "aesthetics" and "imagery" in this thread does not mean any of these incidents exist in a vacuum. rather, i am citing how the believed stylishness of nazis is a big factor in why nazism is prominent in japanese visual media.
ppl defending that tanya the w/e series in the comments as if it isnt pedophile bait and - regardless of what the author says - meant to cater towards military otaku who fantasize about germans winning wwi ... which would have led to genocide and nazism regardless
nazism and antisemitism already existed in germany prior to wwi. even if hitler never came to power and germany won wwi, jews would still be suffering and nazis would still exist. it's naive to think hitler birthed the movement himself.
flcl. this ep had a lot of lupin iii references so this is likely a 'goofy nazi villain' gag. but as the creators are also known for adding a lot of pop culture references and aesthetics, this is yet another issue of finding nazi uniforms/characters cool additions to media.
